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A stroll through Reds no-no history

A stroll through Reds no-no history

7/2/13: Homer Bailey gets Gregor Blanco to ground out to third baseman Todd Frazier to complete his second career no-hitter in a 3-0 win

By Jeremy Warnemuende
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MLB.com |

Charles "Bumpus" Jones threw the first no-hitter in Reds history in his professional debut on Oct. 15, 1892, against the Pirates. Although he gave up one run on four walks, it was unearned. That was the only game Jones pitched in the 1892 season, as he started just seven games in his brief two-year career.

Six years later, the Pirates were once again the victims of a Reds no-hitter, as Ted Breitenstein shut them down on April 22, 1898. It was the second no-no of Breitensein's career, with the first coming during his time with the Cardinals. He also joined the Orioles' Jay Hughes as the first Major League pitchers to throw no-hitters on the same day.

Noodles Hahn became the third Reds pitcher to register a no-hitter when he tossed the only no-no of the 1900 season on July 12 against the Phillies. After almost being cut from the team at the end of Spring Training the year before, Hahn led the National League in strikeouts in each of his first three seasons, including 1900, when he registered 132.

It was 17 years later that Fred Toney won one of the greatest pitchers' duels of all time. On May 2, 1917, Toney and the Cubs' Hippo Vaughn each gave up zero hits through nine innings. The Reds finally put a run on the board in the top of the 10th before Toney completed the no-hitter in the bottom of the inning. Although it's no longer recognized as a double no-hitter, it is the only time in Major League history two pitchers didn't surrender a hit through nine innings of the same game.

On May 11, 1919, Hod Eller threw Cincinnati's fifth no-hitter against the division-rival Cardinals. He struck out eight St. Louis batters in the win -- one of his 19 on the season.

Arguably one of the most impressive pitching feats in history came in 1938, when Johnny Vander Meer became the only pitcher in Major League history to throw back-to-back no-hitters -- the first of which came at home against Boston on June 11. The crowd at Crosley Field was light that day, and because the stadium scoreboard didn't have a column for hits, many were unaware of what they had just witnessed.

Five days later, Vander Meer stole the show again against the Dodgers in the first night game at Brooklyn's Ebbets Field. This time, 38,748 people were in the crowd, as Vander Meer became an overnight sensation.

When Clyde Shoun delivered the eighth no-hitter in Reds history on May 15, 1944, he allowed just one baserunner, as opposing pitcher Jim Tobin drew a walk. Along with not allowing a hit, Shoun registered two of his own at the plate, including a double, in the 1-0 win over Boston.

In June 1947, Ewell Blackwell nearly became the second Major League pitcher to throw back-to-back no-hitters. He successfully accomplished the feat on June 18, walking four batters and striking out three in a 6-0 win over Boston. In his next game, Blackwell went 8 1/3 innings before allowing a single, giving him a 19-inning hitless streak.

Almost 50 years after Toney threw a 10-inning no-hitter at Wrigley Field, Jim Maloney returned to the same location and delivered the same result in a 1-0 win on Aug. 19, 1965. Two months before that, Maloney also went 10 innings without allowing a hit against the Mets, but he gave up a leadoff home run in the 11th en route to a 1-0 loss.

However, Maloney did convert on his second official no-hitter four years later, when he notched 13 strikeouts and five walks against the Astros.

In between Maloney's no-nos, George Culver no-hit the Phillies on July 29, 1968. He actually faced 34 batters thanks to four walks, a pair of errors and a catcher's interference call. Maloney joined Jones as the only two Reds pitchers to throw a no-hitter while also giving up a run.

Tom Seaver pitched the 13th Cincinnati no-hitter on June 16, 1978, against the Cardinals. It was the third straight game in which Seaver went all nine innings, and it capped a seven-start streak in which he earned the win every time out.

On Sept. 19, 1988, against the Dodgers, Tom Browning set himself apart from every other Reds pitcher by throwing the only perfect game in club history. After the game was delayed by rain for more than two hours, Browning struck out seven Los Angeles batters on the way to the 14th perfect game in Major League history.

After Browning's perfect game, the Reds went 24 years without a no-hitter, the longest drought for the club since Jones threw the first one in 1892. On Sept. 28 last season, Homer Bailey finally threw the 15th Cincinnati no-hitter. Bailey was a walk and an error away from tossing a perfect game of his own, striking out 10 Pirates batters and walking away with a 1-0 win.

Bailey made history again on Tuesday, when he tossed his second career no-no, dominating the defending World Series champion Giants. Bailey issued one walk and tallied nine strikeouts. No Major League pitcher recorded a no-hitter between Bailey's gems, making the right-hander the first pitcher since Nolan Ryan in 1974 and '75 to throw the Majors' last two no-nos. Bailey joined Maloney and Vander Meer as the only pitchers in franchise history to spin multiple no-hitters.

Jeremy Warnemuende is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.